The Edmonton Eskimos slotback was fined by the league for his part in a sideline scuffle against the Calgary Stampeders three weeks ago, but he's not holding any grudges heading into the Labour Day Classic.

Not that you could blame him if he did, after taking a flying knee from Stampeders defensive lineman Mike Labinjo after the whistle.

"I saw Talbot almost rolled up into a ball like a kid and a big brother fighting, and then I saw a whole lot of red on top of him," said Eskimos receiver Tremayne Kirkland, who was the first to rush to his teammate's defence. "He definitely was trying to beat up Andre."

Labinjo appeared to carry Talbot over top of Kirkland, who hit the ground in an effort to make a reception. That's when the extra-curricular activities began.

"When I get thrown into their bench and a bunch of guys jump on top of me, I think that's going a little too far," said Talbot. "Obviously, this is a huge rivalry for us and this is the most important game of the season for us. So we're going to come out there with the same mentality that we ended with at the end of the game.

"We want to keep things within the whistles and within the lines of scrimmage. Somehow on that play, I ended up outside of the line of scrimmage with a bunch of guys on top of me. I'm trying to avoid that, but that same fire is what we want to play with."

Despite being in only his first season with the Eskimos, the long-time Toronto Argonauts receiver is deeply imbedded in the Battle of Alberta rivalry.

"Going into Calgary, it's a hostile environment," Talbot said. "The reputation of this rivalry precedes itself for me. I knew what it's all about, just being involved in the Toronto-Hamilton rivalry."